This is not happening.
“What? Baby, what happened?” Phoenix says in a panic. My parents are staring straight at us through the window, and as if their wrath alone wasn’t enough, they decided to bring the entire fucking town along with them?
I just can’t with these people!
“Is it a bear? God, I can’t take a bear, babe,” Axl says, searching the kitchen as if said imaginary bear just materialized out of thin air.
“No, look!” I jab a finger toward the glass, and their gazes follow instantly. They crowd in at the sink, one on each side of me, all of us squished together as westare out the window, half fogged from the cold outside.
There they are.
My parents.
Looking at the cabin like I’ve been spending the holidays in the lowest corner of Hell.
They don’t wave, they don’t smile, but I am not surprised. Phoenix peels away from the window, striding to the coat rack by the door and yanking down his coat like he’s gearing up for war.
“What are you doing?” I question nervously, my voice cracking with panic. “Are you crazy?!” I whisper yell, as if they can hear me from all the way out there.
“I think it’s time we meet the parents, don’t you agree, Bro?” Phoenix says calmly, slipping one arm into his sleeve. Axl doesn’t hesitate. Because of course he doesn’t. He grabs his own jacket and shrugs it on with way too much confidence for the shitshow they’re about to walk into.
“Yeah, why the fuck not?” My heart almost stops dead, dropping straight to my stomach.
I whirl on them, desperate at this point. “Uhh… excuse me?NO.They will eat you alive. Let me talk to them first.” I try to reason with them, though it’s two on one here. I plant myself between them and the door, arms out like I’m blocking a fucking prison riot. “I am dead serious, Axl and Phoenix Stone. My parents aren’t like your mom. They bite.”
Axl raises a brow. “So do we.” With a wink, hereaches for me, gently picks me up, then sets me down a safe distance from the door. Then, without another word, they stride out of here cool as fucking cucumbers.
Oh God.
Oh God.
Wearing nothing but one of Zane’s oversized band tees, I scramble to get my coat. My hands shake as I yank it off the hook, practically wrestling the sleeves before shoving my arms through and pulling the zipper up to my chin. I grab my Doc Martens and shove one foot in while I hop on the other like an idiot. The second boot finally cooperates, and I bolt for the door, flinging it open and sprinting straight into the chaos waiting for me outside.
I skid to a stop in the snow just as the cold slaps me across the face. The entire town is gathered in the driveway. What the fuck is this? Conversations hush the second I appear, dozens of eyes snapping toward me. Judgement? Curiosity? Gossip? I can’t even tell.
Axl and Phoenix stand shoulder to shoulder in front of my parents, calm as ever, and Phoenix’s right arm is casually draped over Jovi’s shoulders. My parents, however, both look like the Grinch who stole Christmas.
“Hey, Mom. Dad,” I cut in with a nervous laugh, and their heads snap to me. Jovi’s gaze whips in my direction, her face lighting up with excitement and relief. I barely get my arms up before she slams into me,wrapping me in one of her bone-crushing, full-body hugs, lifting me clean off the ground.
“I was so worried about you!” she shouts into my neck, shaking me side to side. “The storm knocked the lines out and the whole town lost their mind with worry because nobody knew you got a police escort back here! Oh, God, you smell like…my brothers…” She pulls back mid-sentence, and her hazel-green eyes, the same color as Axl’s, lock onto mine. Behind her, my father’s jaw tightens, and my mother visibly short circuits.
Jovi sets aside the elephant in the room, and I take a deep breath, then step forward, planting myself firmly in the space between Axl and Phoenix. Their presence is grounding, and I realize for the first time in my life, I don’t have to always face the music alone. I have my guys, and they look ready for anything, because you really need to be where my parents are concerned.
“Shiloh. We’re glad you’re safe,” my mom starts, her voice carrying an edge to it that tells me she’s only behaving herself because we have an audience. Any other day, she’d be cussing me the fuck out.
“We were worried when you didn’t come home on Christmas Eve. Even more so, on Christmas Day,” my father adds, only he looks genuine.Hmm.
“I’m sorry,” I reply, my words rushed because it’s cold as shit out here. “There wasn’t much I could do about the weather. It was a fluke that we made it here in time.” My eyes dart between them, then look up at myguys for… I don’t know, reassurance? My dad’s voice drops low, his eyes taking all of us in before he speaks.
“The police officer who brought you here got stuck at a small cottage further down the mountain. Nobody had any way of knowing if you… or … them … were safe.” My dad clears his throat, and the rigid tension in his stance eases a little. “Good to see you are all safe and well,”
“Thank you, Sir,” Phoenix replies, and my heart warms a little that he’s even bothering with this interaction.
“Your daughter is safe with us, Sir. We promise you that,” Axl adds, and tears start to well in my eyes at how sincere he is. Like he would move mountains to keep me happy.
I know that they mean it.
I know how easily people can pick us to pieces, but knowing that they have my back and that I have theirs makes the weight of all this so much easier to carry.
